R. Douglas Hoffman Removed

Robbinsville Municipal Judge R. Douglas Hoffman, then 75, invited his court clerk, then 27, to his Long Beach Island shore home in October 2022. Once there, the two drank beer and shots of liquor until the clerk was drunk, while Hoffman quizzed her about her sexual relationship with her boyfriend and urged her to break up with him. He then touched her twice -- on her knee and inner thigh -- prompting her to leave within five seconds and report the encounter to her supervisor the same day. New Jersey's judicial conduct process recommended Hoffman's removal for "demeaning his judicial office," and the state Supreme Court unanimously upheld it in March 2025. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, writing for the court, called the misconduct "disturbing" and said it undermined public confidence both in Hoffman personally and in the judicial system as a whole.